IPPS Strategy & Vision Q&A

Members of The International Project for a Participatory Society (IPPS) were asked to respond to a short list of questions relating to a future participatory society and how to get there. Although broadly formulated, the questions are aimed at extrapolating IPPS member thoughts and experiences on matters of strategy and vision. Here is Chris Spannos' responce:

(1) Kodi mungadziwe zomwe mukuganiza kuti ndizofunikira zomwe zikuyenera kusinthidwa monga zachuma, ndale, chikhalidwe, jenda/kugonana, chilengedwe, ndi zina zotero?

Kwa mabungwe azachuma ndikuganiza kuti umwini wabizinesi wazinthu zopindulitsa, misika, magawo antchito ndi malipiro akuyenera kuthetsedwa. Kwa ndale, mapangidwe amakono ndi njira zopangira malamulo a m'deralo, chigawo, dziko ndi mayiko, ndondomeko ya chikhalidwe cha anthu ndi chigamulo chake zimafunikiranso chidwi. Pachibale ndi mabanja olerera ana, kasamalidwe kake ndi kuyanjana ndi anthu, titha kupindula ndi kusintha kwakukulu. Kwa chikhalidwe cha chikhalidwe ndi chikhalidwe cha chikhalidwe chathu ndi madera athu, kusintha kwa ubale ndi zinthu zakuthupi mkati ndi pakati pa zipembedzo, uzimu, mafuko, ndi mafuko ziyenera kuganiziridwa. Ndipo potsiriza, ponena za kusintha kwa chilengedwe, nthawi zambiri, tiyenera kusintha mabungwe omwe amakhala ngati zolepheretsa kukhazikika komanso zomwe zikuwopseza dziko lapansi.

(2) Kodi zolinga zanu pakusinthaku ndi zotani, mukufuna kuzisintha, ngati zili choncho ndi kusintha kotani, mokulira? Kodi mukufuna kusintha mabungwewa ndi ena? Ngati ndi choncho kodi zolowa m'malo zimawoneka bwanji, mawonekedwe ake ndi otani, mwachidule?

For the economy, I advocate Albert and Hahnel's Parecon with its balanced job complex, remuneration for effort and sacrifice, and decentralized participatory planning. For politics, I'm inclined to think that Stephen Shalom's "Parpolity" vision with its nested council structure is worthy of much more exploration. For gender, sexuality and kinship, it's still very unclear for me, other than some basic initial thoughts like diversity of family arrangements and a sharing of parental roles among male, female, queer parents, communities and/or "co-parents" so as to have divers sets of familial socializing influences and outcomes for children. More discussion and debate is needed but I think the work done by Cynthia Peters is on the right track. For culture, I like the concept of "intercommunalism", which over simplified here, proposes to remove the material and social conditions which create hostile competition between communities. Rather, communities are guaranteed the resources necessary for their reproduction -- interacting among and with each other creating a rich diversity of cultures, ethnicities and religions. Individuals within these communities choose the religions, cultures and communities they themselves identify most with. For ecological vision, we could imagine ways in which societal institutions could affect our consciousness toward our built environment and enable Just, judicious and sustainable interactions between people, our built environment and our planets ecological foundation.

(3) Kodi mukuganiza kuti ochita bwino ndi ndani kuti akwaniritse zolingazi monga zipani za ndale, ogwira ntchito, amayi, amakasitomala, othawa kwawo, mayiko kapena zigawo zina?

Ndikuganiza kuti anthu eni eni ndi omwe ali ndi luso, koma ndi mabungwe a anthu ndi maudindo omwe anthu amakhala nawo mkati mwawo omwe amadziwika kwambiri ndi omwe amawadziwa komanso mitundu ya mavuto omwe amakumana nawo kuti asinthe anthu. Chifukwa cha izi ndizomveka kuti pali mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya ochita bwino chifukwa, ngakhale ndingathe kusamala za chilengedwe, kutentha kwa dziko ndi mavuto ena aakulu monga kuthetsa abambo, ndikusamalanso kuthetsa nkhondo, kuchita ntchito zina zofalitsa nkhani komanso kulimbikitsa njira ina. ku capitalism. Ndi chinthu chabwino kuti pali anthu omwe akugwira ntchito pazinthu zomwe sitingathe, chifukwa cha kusowa kwa nthawi m'miyoyo yathu kapena zochitika zomwe tingakhalemo. Kulemera kwabwino kumbuyo kwa kayendetsedwe kamodzi kapena kawiri, kunena kuti ogwira ntchito ndi othawa kwawo, kapena amayi ndi zipani zandale, ndiye kuti timachita zimenezo, koma si aliyense ayenera kutero, komanso sayenera kutero. M’kupita kwa nthaŵi kupita patsogolo kosatha kumene kwapangidwa pa mbali iriyonse ya mbali zimenezi kumadalira kupita patsogolo kosatha kumene kwapangidwa pa mbali zonsezi.

(4) Ndi njira ziti zomwe mukuwona kuti zikugwiritsidwa ntchito kwambiri pokwaniritsa zosinthazi monga kuvota, kuchitapo kanthu mwachindunji, kuchitapo kanthu pawailesi yakanema, kunyanyala, ziwonetsero ndi zina?

Ndikuganiza kuti kugwirizanitsa njira zonsezi monga njira yotakata ndizomwe zingapangitse kupita patsogolo kwakukulu kotheka. Koma vuto ndi loti palibe masomphenya ogawana komwe kuli komwe tikufuna kupita. Mwachitsanzo, tonse titha kuvomereza kuti dongosolo lazachuma padziko lonse lapansi liyenera kusinthidwa kuti malonda apakati ndi mkati mwamayiko azikhala mwachilungamo. Pakhala zopindulitsa zoyenda mbali iyi. Koma titha kukhala amphamvu kwambiri ngati pangakhale mgwirizano wabwino pakati pawo ndi kugawana zolinga, zofuna ndi nthawi yake pogwiritsa ntchito ziwonetsero, kunyanyala, zochita zachindunji, zigawenga, atolankhani ndi zipani zandale. Ndipo zikhoza kuchitidwa m'njira yotipititsira patsogolo ndi cholinga chopatsa anthu ulamuliro wotchuka pa zachuma, ndi zina, zosankha zomwe zimakhudza miyoyo yawo. Ndipo kupitilira apo, gulu lomwe lidagwirizanali likadagawana masomphenya amtundu wanji wachuma padziko lonse lapansi ndi mayiko ena, mabungwe, mabungwe ndi njira zopangira zisankho ndi ndondomeko zomwe tingafune.

(5) Kodi malingaliro ena, omwe ali ndi malingaliro osiyanasiyana okhudza kusintha kwa chikhalidwe cha anthu, akugwirizana bwanji ndi ndondomeko yanu ndi masomphenya anu?

In addition to developing and refining a shared orientation towards strategy and vision we should also be seeking to interact precisely with those people that we do not agree with and who disagree with us. We should be able to listen and learn from others and we should also be able to convincingly, confidently, rationally and passionately argue our points. People, who do not believe that societies defining institutions can be transformed, who do not believe in the capacity of people to self-manage their own lives, who do not believe in the potential to achieve equity and classlessness, need to be carefully listened to so that we can respond to their disbelief or explore their ambivalence in such a way so as to eventually bring them into our movement. And we need to do this until our movement grows to such a size that by having shared and coordinated strategy, tactics and vision, we can win. Now, of course it's true that people may have a better proposal for the kinds of strategy, tactics and vision we seek, and so we should concede that they are right, and then join the struggle to organize along their newly proposed lines. Just as, if we are right, they should join our proposed way. As long as we're all seeking institutional arrangements and outcomes that best facilitate and explore human potential, development and liberation then being right or wrong is simply the maze taken towards a common goal. Sure some will remain resistant because their wealth, power and privilege is an outcome of the current institutional arrangement, and so they are invested in it; or they are simply stubborn or sectarian, and so will remain in the wrong. But, if we are persistent, patient and persuasive in our efforts, I think most people will eventually come around to a hopeful and rational vision and strategy. So those left disagreeing will be those who defend the current inequities, who will be in the wrong, and will be a minority. And how we unseat them from their power is another question.